Young people, transformative learning and the disorienting dilemma of climate change

Given the significance of climate change as a universal ‘disorientating dilemma’ how might educators working within schools start to explore the potential of transformative education in this space? Does a young person’s identity, values and views need to be largely defined (through the influences of family, friends and schooling) before transformative learning can take place? Or can transformative learning influence a young person’s journey into adulthood while these frames of reference are still forming? Experiential learning goes some way to provide more engaged, embodied, immersive learning experiences that may lead to transformative perspectives (Kolb & Kolb, 2005; Meerts-Brandsma & Sibthorpe, 2020). However, it is the transformative potential of Mezirow’s vision for transformative learning to influence ‘frames of reference’ that is required now more than ever to support alternate perspectives on how we might engage with and relate to the ‘more-than-human world’ (Abram, 2013) in a way that recognises our deep interdependence and ‘interbeing’ with this world . In this discussion we explore how the insights of transformative learning in adult education might help to shape a ‘pedagogy of the unknown’ (Barnett, 2012) or ‘curriculum for being’ (Le Hunte, 2020) for young people.

Format: Paper Presentation

Presenters:

Monique Potts, University of Technolog
Session Date & Time: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT